Should I buy quantum computing stocks?

There is an industry called quantum computing. Though it sounds like sci-fi, it’s not that anymore. Google “quantum computing” and you’ll find it everywhere in your feed.

The largest quantum computing players now include big names like IBM, Google and Microsoft alongside startups such as Rigetti Computing and IonQ — all in a race to develop machines that solve the kind of really hard problems beyond the reach of today’s computers.

If they pull it off, the impact on drug discovery, cybersecurity, finance, logistics and climate modeling (among others) could be devastating. That is why some investors believe that quantum computing stocks are the next internet investment opportunity.

Well, that’s the rub—they probably won’t have their highly profitable commercial quantum computer anytime soon (if at all). Many companies in the space are too R&D heavy, burning cash with no clear timelines on big breakthroughs. That means putting money into the company at this stage is less about anchoring yourself to a proven tech-y blue-chip, and more about wagering on a moonshot.

If this works, the upside is enormous. If not, you may be sitting on dead stock.

SO… are quantum stocks a risky wager on the future that should be taken now, or is it wiser to wait until a more proven and profitable level of this technology?